An Agenda for the Future

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The Task Force on Undergraduate Education was established by PrezBo in October 2006 for the purposes of reviewing the structure and curricula of the university's three undergraduate schools: Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the School of General Studies. It was led by Alan Brinkley and issued its report, "An Agenda for the Future" in April 2009.

Since its inception, the Task Force, which reports to the University Senate, has contemplated a closer integration of CC and GS[1], a 10-20 percent increase in the size of the undergraduate population coupled with the construction of a new dormitory on 115th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive.[2], and an overhaul of the Major Cultures requirement.[3]

Of these proposals, the University began implementing its planned reforms of Major Cultures following the 2007 hunger strike, and increased the undergraduate enrollment by 50 students for the class of 2013 in response to the 2008 financial crisis. Plans for the new dormitory were scrapped despite having a site to build on due to a lack of gift funding.

An Agenda for the Future

The Task Force's report, "An Agenda for the Future", is in many ways the successor to the Enhancing the Undergraduate Experience at Columbia report issued in 1996 that also called for an expansion of the College.

Columbia College/General Studies Merger

The idea of merging Columbia College and General Studies has been floated a number of times. In 1970 Dean Carl Hovde proposed merging CC, GS and the undergraduate division of SEAS. This posture may have been a direct consequence of the University's decision in 1969 to permit GS to grant BA degrees to students, whereas before CC granted BA degrees and GS only granted BS degrees. Having failed to prevent the overlap, perhaps the next best option was consolidation.

In 1975, Dean Peter Pouncey pushed the envelope even further, recommending that Barnard College be included in a grand merger.

The Task Force's recommendation then had roots dating back 40 years.

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ University May Merge GS with CC, Columbia Spectator, 12 November 2007
  2. ↑ Enrollment increase coupled with faculty wage freeze, 10 percent Ph.D. cut, Columbia Spectator, 25 March 2009
  3. ↑ Reform Effort Pre-Dated Strike, Columbia Spectator, 5 December 2007
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